Can I use my Mid 2012 13" MacBook Pro to drive two displays?

Question

Can I use my Mid 2012 13" MacBook Pro to drive two displays?

I have a Mid 2012 13" MacBook Pro (NOT Retina - I wanted the optical drive...) connected to a 27" Thunderbolt Display. If I get a MiniDisplay Port <-> MiniDisplay Port Cable (and connect it between the Thunderbolt Port on the Thunderbolt Display, and the MiniDisplay Port on the iMac), will the MacBook Pro also be able to drive my 27" Mid 2010 iMac as an external Monitor?

If not, will the iMac be able to drive the Thunderbolt display?

I'm trying to get to documents side by side on the 27" monitor so I can move data between them - Word/Word, Word/Excel, etc.,

It would be nice to know the answer before I go to the store and drop the $ on the cable...

Many thanks,

Chris

MacBook Pro (13-inch Mid 2012), OS X Yosemite (10.10.2)

Posted on Apr 17, 2015 9:48 AM

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Answer 1

Best reply

Macadamiamac

Level 1

24 points

Apr 17, 2015 8:45 PM in response to Chris Stoneley

Yes you can drive a second display. I don't know about using your iMac as a second though.

With the Mini Display port adapter from your MBPr to the Thunderbolt port on the display. You might need an extension cord. Depending upon the distance.

Then, got to System Preferences and select Displays. There you can configure the arrangement and what you want to see, either a mirror of the MBP display or as a separate or discrete screen. Coupled with Spaces it's great. But you need lots of RAM.

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Answer 2

OGELTHORPE

Level 9

57,305 points

Apr 18, 2015 7:27 PM in response to Chris Stoneley

You may find this helpful:

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204592

Ciao.

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Answer 3

Apr 18, 2015 7:36 PM in response to OGELTHORPE

After lots of reading, it seems it is possible (thanks for the link, OGELTHORPE), but I haven't been able to figure out the right cable configuration.

Confirmed my MacBook Pro (mid 2012) supports two Thunderbolt Displays

Confirmed my iMac (mid 2010) supports Target Display Mode

Confirmed this is possible based on the below...

6. Can I use an Apple Thunderbolt Display and an iMac in Target Display Mode to act as two additional displays for my Thunderbolt-equipped Mac?

Yes. If your Thunderbolt-equipped Mac supports two Thunderbolt displays this is possible. Your Thunderbolt-equipped Mac will need to be connected to your Apple Thunderbolt display and the iMac will need to be connected to the Thunderbolt port of the Apple Thunderbolt display. Not all iMacs support Target Display Mode. See Target Display Mode: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) for more information. Once connected, place the iMac into Target Display Mode to enable it as the second external display.

Notes:

Make sure the Thunderbolt Display is connected to your Thunderbolt-equipped Mac and is being recognized and used by the Thunderbolt-equipped Mac before connecting the iMac to the Thunderbolt display.
If the iMac is placed in the Thunderbolt chain before the Apple Thunderbolt Display, the Thunderbolt display will work as an external display for the iMac and it will stay active as an external display for the iMac, but it will not function with the main Thunderbolt-equipped Mac using the iMac's display.
To use an iMac in Target Display Mode when connected to an Apple Thunderbolt Display, the iMac must be Thunderbolt-enabled, and a Thunderbolt cable must be used (not a mini-DP cable).

The bulletpoint that worries me is the last one. I have tried with both a mini display port cable AND a thunderbolt cable, but the last bulletpoint seems to suggest that this is not possible if the iMac is NOT a Thunderbolt enabled iMac (which mine isn't). It does however say elsewhere that my iMac acting in TDM mode acts as a Thunderbolt Display, so it's all a bit confusing!!! It seems that my MacBook Pro can't drive both displays; so now I'm trying to figure out how to get the iMac to treat my Thunderbolt display as a second monitor.

Fingers crossed...

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Answer 4

Apr 19, 2015 12:04 PM in response to Chris Stoneley

Ended up holding for Apple Support last night, and the short answer is this isn't possible with my blend, due to the the Thunderbolt / MiniDisplay port switch out. If my iMac had been a mid 2011 (which added two Thunderbolt ports), or my Display had been the earlier model with the MiniDisplay Port, it would have worked in either direction - but because I was one either side of that cusp, the backwards compatibility isn't there... so it's not actually possible to do either.

Total bummer.

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